Ornamental slip fit picture support unit



Oct. 3, 1950 R. R. BALDWIN I 2,524,647

QRNAMENTAL SLIP FIT PICTURE SUPPORT UNIT Filed Au 23, 1946 INVENTOR. ROBERT R. BALDWIN A T TORNEV Patented Oct. 3, 1950 JPUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ORNAMENTAL SLIP FIT PICTURE SUPPORT UNIT Robert Richard Baldwin, Astoria, N. Y.

Application August 23, 1946, Serial No. 692,474

.3 Claims. (01. 248-33) This invention relates to means for holding and presenting a picture upon a table or other article of furniture, and its leading object isto provide a simple base having a spring socket in which the lower end of the picture and its protecting transparent panel and backing are inserted, while the rest of the glass panel, picture and backing are completely exposed for observation, the panel, picture and backing being united to each other by transparent bonding cement, so that a single unit is provided.

With the above and other objects in view the invention comprises certain new and useful constructions, combinations and arrangements of parts, clearly described in the following specification, and fully illustrated in the drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a front elevation.

Fig. 2 is an edge perspective view.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional View.

Referring to the drawings, which illustrate the practical embodiment of the invention, '5 designates a met-a1 base, which is preferably finished in chromium plating to provide an attractive or decorative finish. This base is formed from a single piece of sheet metal material, and shaped to provide a U-shaped holding socket or channel 6, and a forwardly extending rest flange I, which is united to the forward side 8 of the socket or channel 6 by means of the closed bend 9. This rest flange is formed with an approximately horizontal forward edge portion III, which thus provides a wide bearing upon the table surface.

From the rear side II of the socket or channel 6 another rest flange I2 extends rearwardly and this is provided with a rounded curved portion I2a, presenting a convex upper side and another slightly curved portion I2b, presenting a concave upper side, which is provided with a terminal edge IZc, which is designed to engage the upper surface of the table so as to support the entire base in a stable position, with the intermediate socket or channel 6 thereby supported at a rising and rearward inclination.

The sides 8 and II of the socket 6 provide means for retaining combined glass or transparent panel I3, intermediate picture l4, and glass or transparent backing panel I5.

The sides 8 and II have a moderate spring grippingaction on the lower edge portion of the display unit, which is made up of the panel I3,

the picture I4, and the panel I5, and this pressure may be relieved by manual pressure on the rest flanges I and I2, which will cause the channel sides 3 and II to move outwardly fromeach other,

The display unit is finished with bevel edges on the face panel I3 and on the backing panel I4.

My invention eliminates the use of folding easels and provides means for rigidly holding a glass faced picture, so that danger of breakage is reduced to a minimum, and the complete unit has maximum exposure, giving a complete and bare design effect.

Should a person accidentally hit the display unit it will not be separated from its self clutching base, and it is impossible to adjust the base to change the angle of display, which is established in the manufacture of the base, and this makes for artistic presentation of any picture displayed.

The face panel I3, the picture I4, and the backing panel I5 are preferably bonded by suitable plastic cement or adhesive, of the transparent or invisible type, so that the three flat parts form a single display unit, and cannot be readily separated from each other by the purchaser. This protects the picture so displayed from being tampered with or removed, and thereby makes the article an ideal remembrance gift.

It will be further noted that each side of the backing panel I 4 may be provided with a picture, so that two different pictures may be displayed by the device at the same time.

It should be apparent that the picture assembly can be relieved from the socket by gripping the flanges to expand the socket and to open the same.

It is understood that various changes in the details of construction may be made, within the scope of the invention, as defined in the claims hereof.

I claim as new and patentable:

l. A picture holder formed of sheet material having a U-shaped socket gripping the lower edge portion of a picture assembly and provided with a forward rest flange extending from the forward side socket and a rear rest flange extending from the rear side of said socket and said flanges providing means for manually expanding said socket to release the said picture assembly gripped by the sides of said socket.

2. A picture holder formed of sheet material having a U-shaped socket provided with opposing sides gripping the opposite sides of a picture assembly and provided with an integral forward rest flange united to the front side of said socket bya bend closed to lie flush against the socket and having its outer edge curved forwardly to engage a horizontal supporting surface and having a rear rest flange extending from and integral with the rear side of the socket and having a rear I 3 terminal edge portion adapted to engage the same horizontal supporting surface as the forward rest flange, said rest flanges forming lever means for expanding the sides of the socket to release a picture assembly gripped thereby.

3. Incombination, a base having a spring U- shaped socket and table engaging rest flanges integral therewith and extending from the upper side portions of said socket downwardly and outwardly from said upper side portions to form supports for said socket, said socket being disposed at a rising and rearward angle from the plane of the outer edge portions of said rest flanges; and a display unit comprising a transparent face panel, a transparent backing panel and a picture disposed between and bonded to said panels to form a frameless display unit disposed at its lower edge portion in said socket and held therein by the spring pressure of the sides of said socket, said forwardly and rearwardly extending rest flanges forming means for expanding said socket to release said display unit.

ROBERT RICHARD BALDWIN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

